It's Gotta Be You
by ILoveNeil
Summary: James and Juliet are forced to share a house together in the seventies. Can the headstrong blonde and stubborn southerner live together without a hitch? Yeah, right...
1. Chapter 1

**_I've made so many one-shots lately so I figured I'd try to do a James/Juliet multi-chapter fic for a change. It's going to be mostly fluff so if that's the kind of stuff you like, enjoy... (and reviews are more than welcome) :)_**

"Juliet!"

She heard her name being called from inside of the bathroom. However she chose to ignore it, for she was in the middle of rereading _East of Eden _and couldn't tear her eyes away from the page. She was just getting to the good part, there was no distracting her now.

"Juliet!" She heard again and after letting out a brief sigh, went back to her reading. Whatever it was James wanted would have to wait.

Only a few paragraphs later did she hear the crick of the bathroom door swing open then slam shut, followed by familair footsteps stomping into the room.

"Hey Blondie." James suddenly growled out from behind her, "Didn't know ya' were in need of a hearin' aid."

She closed the book with a sigh, "What is it, James? What did you need so badly that--"

"We're outta shampoo." He drawled out, "Figured ya' might have some extra hidden 'round here somewhere."

"Yeah." She stated, getting up, "There's some in the--" She paused, turning around to face him for the first time, and struggled to catch her breath. He was wearing nothing save a single towel drapped around his waist, and had drops of water sparkling across his bare chest. He casually flipped back his sandy hair as he waited for her answer and she instinctually licked her lips.

"I'll--uhh..." She cleared her throat, "I'll go get it."

"Take your time." He sardonically called after her, "Not like I have a big ol' party to be late fer."

As she came back, shampoo in hand, he added, "Speakin' of which, s'that what you're wearin'? Ain't it 'sposed to be fancy?"

Eyes widening, she swiftly brought her hand to meet her forehead, "The party--that's _today_?"

"First the hearin' issues an' now memory loss?" He clicked his tounge, "Oughta see someone 'bout that, Betty White."

She ignored the quip and threw the bottle of shampoo at his chest, "I have to get dressed."

"If ya' need any help puttin' on some skimpy dress, I'd be more than happy to give ya' a hand."

She rolled her eyes, "Go finish your shower, James."

"Wanna join me? Gets awful lonely in there."

_Yes, yes, oh God yes, _she thought and laughed at the notion. _Them--_together? No, no way. No good could come from that. So instead she said plainly, "Not going to happen, James. But if you're in such dire need of a companion, I can go get Miles for you."

He shot her a look, before turning towards the bathroom, "See ya' at the party, Blondie."

"What? You're not going to walk me there?" She asked, taken aback, "I thought we were going together--_all _of us I mean. Me, you, Miles, and Jin."

He shrugged, "That was 'fore Rosie asked me."

"Rosie asked you?" She repeated softly.

"Nah." He said, bursting out into a grin, "But ya' shoulda' saw yer face." He chuckled, "Someone a bit jealous?"

She opened her mouth then closed it, "That wasn't jealousy, James. That was pity--poor Rosie deserves so much better."

"Eh, she's not my type anywho." He informed, "Got my sights set on another gal."

"Well God help her, whoever she is." Juliet teased before making her way to the bedroom to pick out her dress. She rummaged through her closet, trying to get their conversation--and James' flawless body--out of her head but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't help but wonder who the special _gal _was.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Thanks so much for the lovely reviews so far. Love you guys :)_**

"Jeez, could ya' take any longer in there, Paris Hilton?" James grumbled from outside of the bedroom door, leaning his head against the ajoining wall. Along with Miles and Jin, he'd been patiently waiting for Juliet to get changed for a while now and was finally getting tired of it.

After several minutes of banging on the door and urging her to 'hurry the hell up', the door swung open and he breathed out, "It's about time. Ya' took any longer in there an' the seventies woulda' been over."

She took a step into the hallway and sighed, "My appoligies, James, I didn't realize I was being timed."

"Yeah, well, I've been outta the shower fer twenty minutes an' ya--" His breath hitched as he turned his head to look at her, "Son of a bitch, Juliet..."

"What?" She asked sincerely, smoothing down the sides of her dress, "Do I look that bad?"

"_Bad_?" He scoffed, taking a minute to drink her in. It never ceased to amaze him how such an incredibly attractive woman could _ever _be so insecure about herself. She was dressed in a fairly short, fire engine red dress, matched with black high heel shoes and silver ankle bracelet. She had her hair messily placed up in a bun, pocketbook in hand, and a borrowed pair of earrings sparkling against the side of her delicate, pale face.

"Let me tell ya', princess, hands down yer gonna be the best dressed at this lil' shindig."

"Don't lie to me, James." She scolded, "If I look like a complete mess, I believe I have a right to know."

"For a girl who thinks she knows everythin', ya' don't know a hell of a lot." He commented, looking her up and down approvingly. Boy did he wish he could just rip that damn dress right off of her and--_Snap outta it, James, she's your damn roomate._

He cleared his throat, "Now lets get goin', we're gonna be late."

She nodded and they made their way into the living room to see Miles staring out the window next to Jin, bragging, "See that chick over there? She wants me--she won't admit it, but trust me, by the end of the night, she'll by begging to be mine."

"And tomorrow she'll be beggin' to forget." James added with a grin.

"We are ready to go?" Jin chimed in, eager to get to the party. There were certain, rare periods where he would be so utterly depressed that he wouldn't get out of bed for days, and others when he put his sorrows away and chose to enjoy life--luckily, tonight was the latter.

"Yes, let's go." Juliet affirmed, causing Miles to finally tear his eyes away from the window and state in awe, "Woah. Juliet, you look...woah."

"Excuse me?" She asked, tilting her head innocently as Miles continuously gawked at her.

"Put yer eyes back in yer head, Romeo." James snapped, "We got a party to get to."

Miles did as he was told and the four friends traisped out of their shared house, slowly ambling towards the edge of the beach where the party was taking place. Once they arrived, Jin had immediately made a beeline for the refreshment table while Juliet wandered off towards Amy to converse.

"So, what's the deal with you two?" Miles asked as James handed him a beer, motioning towards the two girls.

"Me an' Ames? Well she's pretty, I'll give her that. But she an' H seem to be gettin' pretty cozy an' I wouldn't wanna ruin whatever the hell they got goin' on." He answered, "Why, ya' got a thing for her? What happened to window girl?"

"I meant Juliet." Miles corrected, oblivious to James' attempt at changing the subject.

"Jules an' me ain't nothin' more than friends." He stated, faultering only slightly, "Becomin' anythin' more than that could ruin the whole thing we got goin'. So if you're thinkin' of askin' her out, forget it."

Miles sighed, wrinkling his nose, "Fine." He scanned the room before suddenly sprouting into a sly grin, "Forget Juliet. There's window girl. Wish me luck--not like I'll need it."

Throwing his now empty beer to the ground, Miles sauntered off, leaving James to stand alone in the corner. However, it wasn't long until he spotted Juliet who was now standing alone as well, looking out into the calm ocean water.

"Party's a rager." He stated sarcasticly as he came up behind her, "Haven't had this much fun since Jin an' Miles had that pie eatin' contest."

"It's still early." She responded, "Hardly anyone's here yet--guess we weren't too late after all."

"Guess not." He agreed and after a moment of silence, aside from the slow, melodic playing in the background, asked, "Wanna dance?"

She laughed slightly, "What?"

"Might as well do somethin' other than just sit here starin' at each other. It _is _a party after all." He rationed. She pursed her lips and he asked, "What? Don't tell me ya' don't dance?"

"No, I--I mean I _used _to." She said softly, "But I haven't since...since my wedding."

"You were married?"

She reluctantly nodded, "Long story. I'll tell it some other time."

There was a pause, "Well, ya' gonna dance with me or not? 'Cause if ya' won't then I'm sure Jin'll be happy to--"

"Don't be silly, James." She said, grabbing his hand gently and leading the way to the makeshift dancefloor located on the sandy beach, "Of course I'll dance with you."

"Good. But can't promise I won't step on yer feet." He quipped.

_And can't promise I won't end up fallin' for ya' neither_ he felt like adding, but ignored the impulse.


	3. Chapter 3

_**This chapters fairly quick but enjoy. Thanks for the reviews, I love hearing from you :)**_

"Never told me ya' could dance." James breathed out before gingerly lifting up his arm and twirling Juliet around.

"You never asked." She replied, before letting out a soft laugh, "I'm as surprised as you are to tell you the truth. I've never been all that good before."

"Guess ya' just needed the right partner." He purred, slightly closing the gap between them.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise and smiled, looking back and fourth from his eyes to his lips, "Yeah. I guess so."

"Hey, LaFluer!" Phil suddenly hollared, "Mind if I cut in?"

Juliet shrugged, "It's fine by me. I've had enough dancing for one day anyway." She gave a sly smile before walking away and called over her shoulder, "Have fun you two."

Phil rolled his eyes and growled out, That girl's something else."

James nodded, "Yeah...she is."

"Don't know why you even put up with her. She's hot, sure, but besides that she's a total snob."

"Someone a lil' jealous?" James growled back. However, Phil blatantly ignored the comment and droned on, "Whenever you try to help her out with something, she shuts you down--has to do _everything _on her own."

James clenched his jaw, trying to suppress his anger, "Got a problem with an independent woman, Phil?"

"Independent? No." He shook his head, glowering at Juliet who was sharing a beer with Jin in the distance, "But _that _chick--she's _way _past independent. Don't know how she ended up like she is. She must've gone through some pretty messed up stuff."

"You don't know nothin' 'bout her."

"Oh, I know her." Phil crowed, "She's a loner--a phony too. If you think she likes you, you're wrong, you know. She's a born liar--I can tell these things."

Without a second thought, James' fist made contact with the side of Phil's jaw and the unexpected strike directly knocked him to the ground with a heavy thud. A flash of guilt crashed over James as Phil struggled to get back up and he nearly bent down to help him back up. However, he quickly decided against it once he remembered the reason he had just punched the son of a bitch to the ground--_nobody _talks 'bout Juliet that way.

"James! What the hell are you doing?" Was the next thing he heard, and he immediately turned his head to see Juliet running towards him with widened eyes.

"Nothin'" He replied gruffly before beginning to walk away but he stopped once he got a glimpse of the boss coming towards him.

"Gentlemen, what's going on here?" Horace asked, crouching down next to Phil, "Is there a problem?"

"Everythin's fine, H. Got nothin' to worry 'bout." James grunted as he feigned a grin, brushing past the crowd of people who had gathered around and stormed towards his house. Juliet quickly followed behind him and once they both reached the house and were inside and out of earshot, she asked frantically, "What the hell was that for, James?"

"Don't matter." He grumbled, not wanting to go into detail. Juliet didn't need to know what that jackass Phil thought of her, so what was the point in explaining?

She was quiet for a moment, but then shook her head dissaprovingly and said coldly, "I _cannot _believe you, James. _You're _the one whose always saying how we have to fit in here--how we can't cause a ruckus so that no one gets suspicious. Well what now, James? What if Horace deems us unable to be around his people? What if he sends us off the island for good?"

"Stop overreactin', princess. It ain't a good look fer ya'."

She blinked, narrowing her eyes before she took a few steps closer to him, "You may have just ruined everything we have here--_everything_. Now tell me what the hell gave you the bright idea to knock out Phil?"

He was quiet a moment, "None o' yer damn business."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Thanks so much for all of the reviews. I love you guys and really love hearing from all of you! You're all great!**_

Two weeks had passed. Two weeks since the faithful day on the dock where he prodded her to stay and she 'reluctantly' agreed to stay with him.

Two _days _had passed since the Dharma party where James had punched out Phil and left the room angrily after denying Juiet the full story behind _why _he had done what he had.

--

"James, you're back." Juliet stated with a sigh of relief as he walked through the door. He had left to meet Horace almost an hour ago in hopes of buying a few more weeks in 'Dharmaville' and she had been staring at the clock since the moment he set foot out the door. Ever since James' little incident with Phil, Horace was unsure wheather or not having them staying in the D.I. would be a good idea. And truth be told, Juliet was now debating the idea as well. What if James actually managed to get them permission to stay there for another week--or month--or even year? And what happened if he _didn't_? Either way it was a flawed situation to be sure.

James ran his fingers through his hair, letting out a deep breath, as Jin, Miles, and Juliet rushed towards him to hear the news.

"So?" Miles prodded when James failed to speak, "What's the verdict?"

James cleared his throat, "H gave me a whole speil 'bout how the D.I.'s a pretty damn good place to be an' it couldn't hurt to add a few more people. Said that he'd overlook the lil' incident with Phil an' he'd be lucky to have the group of us 'round for the long haul--told me he wants us here permanently." He paused, "I told him we'd all be glad to be a part of his batty hippy organization." Another pause, "That all right with all o' you?"

They all nodded.

"H is puttin' us all on the security team--wasn't too keen on the idea at first but, hey, it's better than a janitor."

"So that's it? We get to stay here, work here, _live _here, no questions asked?" Juliet questioned in awe.

"That's it." James answered with a shrug, "Oh, but get this. We gotta take a three hour class first."

"A class?"

"Yeah, it's a thing people go to so they can learn some shit they're never gonna use in life." He responded with a slight edge.

"With that attitude, it's a miracle you didn't drop out _before _ninth grade." Juliet observed, however her comment was unheard due to Miles' heavy sighs.

"We're not gonna have to be around those little brats are we?" He moaned, causing James to roll his eyes and sneer, "Yeah, jackass, we're gonna be in the same class as fifth graders. If you're extra nice to them maybe they'll even give ya a sip o' one of them tastey juicebox's."

"Who's going to be in these classes, then? Just the four of us? Man, that's sure to be a blast..." Miles stated sarcastically, resulting in James shaking his head and explaining, "I ain't got a clue who's gonna be in it--just us an' a few other new security recruits I guess. But there sure as hell won't be any damn kids."

--

Juliet awoke the next day with a smile creeping across her face. Ever since she was a young child, she had thoroughly enjoyed school and anything having to do with it. Even in medical school, when she was swamped with papers and bombarded with complicated assignments, she took joy in the task of completing them all. She may not have been much of a social butterfly, but her grades were always sky high.

When they arrived in class later that day, she picked up the freshly sharpened pencil that lay on her desk and began furiously scribbling down the many notes written across the blackboard.

Only a moment later, she suddenly felt a light object smash against the back of her head without warning, and when she looked to the ground where it had fallen, she sighed.

"Are you boys serious?" She lectured, picking up the piece of paper and crumpling it, "_Paper airplanes_?"

"Hey! I worked hard on that!" Miles whined, looking at his destroyed creation in devastation.

"Yeah, it's real hard to fold a piece a' paper." James quipped, earning him a nod of approval from the blonde.

"Thank you, James." She said while looking pointedly at Miles, "I'm glad to see you aren't as immature as Miles, here."

He didn't respond, and a few minutes of peace and quiet went by before she heard two voices pipe up.

"Like this, Jin." She heard James whisper, and swiftly turned around to see what they were up to.

James quickly dropped whatever he was holding, as she asked carefully, "Are you helping Jin with his work? How nice of you."

"Yeah, well, what can I say. I'm a good teacher."

"Really? I had no clue you were good at this mathematical stuff."

"He no teach math." Jin said slowly, "Teach spit ball."

"You three are _unbelievable_." She sighed, leaning over and grabbing the clutter from off of their desk and dropping it on their own, just as the teacher strode into the class.

"Alright, Miss Burke, would you like to tell me what _this _is?" The teacher asked, holding up the many straws and paper airplanes on her desk.

"Oh, no no. It's not min--"

"I've heard that one before--although it's normally with the children, not with full grown adults." The teacher said with a glare, "But if I must, I'll play along." She paused to look at the rest of the class, "Now does anyone want to stick up for Miss Burke, here?"

Juliet turned around in her seat, looking pointedly at James as she waited for him to confess. However, he gave a huge, open mouth smile and stated innocently, "I told her she'd get in trouble but she just don't listen."

"So she did, in fact, do it then?" The teacher confirmed, causing James to give a shrug whilst nodding his head.

The teacher glared at Juliet and stated harshly, "Come with me, Mrs. Burke.

--

"You know she's gonna kill you once she gets a hold of you." Miles grinned as the three men walked back to their house after class was over, "Wonder how she'll do it. Didn't you say she zapped you with a taser once?"

James rolled his eyes and nodded and Jin asked, "Why you let her get in trouble?"

"Well, 'cause it was pretty damn funny. Plus, wan't like I knew they'd kick her outta class. She ain't--" He froze as he swung open the front door to see Juliet standing in front of them with her arms crossed, "Howdy Jules..."

She forced a smile, "Hey James. How was class?"

"Not so bad." He answered plainly, awaiting her responce.

She nodded her head, "Would you boys like to know what they told me after James got me _kicked _out of class?"

The three men cautiously looked at one another and nodded.

"They took me off the security team. Said I'd be better off as a mechanic--you don't need to take a class to become one." She paused and her angry demenour changed to a bright smile, "It's actually much better off this way. I used to fix cars with my dad, it was fun--and this way, I won't be stuck with the three of _you _twenty-four hours a day." She paused, "So I guess you deserve a thank you, James."

"Yeah, well, it was my pleasure, darlin'."

She took a step forward, putting her pointer finger harshly against his chest, "But don't you _ever _pull anything like that again."


End file.
